Lordmind Estoor surveyed the carnage
before him and shook his head.
“Well, this isn’t exactly what I
would call a positive development.”
As soon as the Moonmind had received
Mind Hillit’s frantic call for help, the Lordmind had assembled his associates and
travelled directly to Chinngard. He had not informed the Prime Lord, something he did not
concern himself with for the Mind on Fedarn would soon inform him anyhow. He just
travelled the distance to the planet of House Familee to see what he could salvage from
the unfortunate result of what Janos described as ‘a retaliatory strike for the
murder of their youngest’.
Estoor nodded to himself as he
thought over the Emperor-Priest’s first transmission to all the Ki-Ki Sector worlds
after he had seized the Familee palace, proclaiming the unjust murder and his right to
take action. A fine excuse.
The battle was over, in which time
the prisoners of war had been taken away to be secured and the area around the palace had
been swept of resistance. Estoor’s starship was nestled in between two huge Janos
transports, their domineering presence a reminder of who now ruled Chinngard.
He walked with two of his advisors
and Mind Vasquid over the rubble towards the entrance where several guards were waiting
for them.
The guards approached to converse,
but the Lordmind and his entourage walked straight past without even acknowledging them.
One of the armoured soldiers stepped forward to intercede and question the Minds, but
another trooper grabbed him by the arm and shook his helmeted head. The guard looked at
his compatriot and then back at the Minds as they disappeared into the palace.
“Let us hope the child has not been
harmed,” Estoor thought to his companions. “It will make studying quite pointless.”
Cheifmind Vasquid looked around with
concern. “I cannot detect any talent here,
other than us and Mind Hillit. It does not bode well.”
They entered the audience chamber,
where Akallon had already cleared the table at the far end and was using it as a command
post. Portable sensors and communication equipment was being set up around the Baron and
his aides as he talked quietly with them. As the Minds approached, he looked up and shooed
some of the gathered military men away, only allowing Areed and Gevier to remain.
“Lordmind Estoor,” the Emperor-Priest said with no expression.
“Welcome. I’m afraid I’m a little busy. To what do I owe the
pleasure?” The last remark was made with so much acid mixed with the words that
Gevier looked at his Lord with worry.
But the Lordmind let the obvious
unwelcome pass him by. “Janos,” he said with a whisper, not wanting to mix with
the mind of the man. He had communicated with him once before, joining minds. He had found
the connection...distasteful.
“I see you have made quite an impression on the locals of Chinngard. I take it
this wasn’t a social visit?”
Again Gevier looked between the men
as they sparred with words. He took a step back to avoid any potential conflict. Areed
just stood solid; not liking the direction the conversation was going.
Akallon smiled at the sarcasm.
“They’ll get used to it. I take you have come here to make sure that
communication with Chinngard and the Mindmoon remains intact? I’m surprised you
didn’t just send one of your operatives.”
Estoor nodded as he climbed the steps
to the podium. “I decided to investigate personally. After all, there hasn’t
been a war within the Ki-Ki Sector since... well, not in my lifetime anyway. My
condolences on the loss of your son.” Estoor bowed slightly, a small smile on his
lips and his eyes were always connected with the Emperor-Priest’s.
As if Akallon had suddenley been
spooked by a past thought he shook his head and started to walk around the table.
“Let’s forget the friendly chatter, Lordmind. You are here for a reason, and
since you do not have any kind of legal standing within the militaries of the sector I do
not have to show you diplomatic courtesy. What are you doing here? Are you scavenging for
scraps?”
Estoor’s face changed
dramatically from a smirk to a deep scowl. “I do not like your tone, Janos. I am,
after all, a very powerful man and I have the ear of the Prime Lord.”
“That little fact may have bearing in the Ki-Ki Sector, Estoor, but to me it
means nothing. You’re blind clinging to outmoded communications and the belief it
makes you powerful doesn’t interest me. Just state what it is you require and then
begone. Your presence here unnerves me and my people.”
There was a brief silence during
which the Lordmind’s associates walked close to him to stand behind protectively, and
Areed stepped closer to the Emperor-Priest with his hand on his sword hilt. Gevier had
stepped further away, his eyes wide with grim expectation.
But the Lordmind waved his company to
stand back and just looked at Akallon evenly. “I only have one requirement, yes, and
it is a small one. There is a newborn child here, somewhere, the newest member of the
Familee House. All I ask is that you hand her over and I will leave here. I will be
nothing but an unpleasant memory.”
The Emperor-Priest took a long breath
through pursed lips and looked at Areed. Estoor saw the exchange and suddenley became very
worried. Was the child dead? Lost? Kidnapped?
“Escaped, Lordmind,” Mind
Vasquid thought to his superior, “the thoughts
of the War Marshall Areed are quite strong. The child escaped with two of the
triplets.”
Estoor nodded almost imperceptibly
and stepped closer to the table.
Akallon cleared his throat. “We
do not have a full head count yet. Not all of the Familee line may have survived, but we
are hopeful.”
As the last of the
Emperor-Priest’s words slipped from his mouth the Lordmind entered his thoughts
whilst he was preoccupied with talking and thinking of the House Familee. He did not enjoy
the Janite’s mind, thinking it corrupt and continually devious.
He delved in, tracing the happenings
of the last few hours and took all the information he needed within a few seconds. He
ordered the incidents and smiled.
“Surely you have already found Baron Familee? He would have fought with his
troops for the safety of the palace. That was the kind of man he was.”
“We have found him, yes, but he was dead, killed in the first bombardment. A
shame that he could not be brought to trial for the murder of my son.”
“Quite.”
Areed was sure that the Mind knew
more than he was showing. What powers did Estoor have, being the commanding Mind of the
whole psychic collective? Had he been informed from afar by Hillit, or had he plucked the
information from the brain of his employer?
“And the children?”
“Escaped,” the Emperor-Priest admitted straight. There was no sense in
telling the Lordmind he was sure he would catch them now they had already left the planet,
and no sense in telling him he didn’t know. If he had told the Lordmind they were
dead, he would have demanded to see the bodies, no doubt.
“All except one,” Estoor said. He let slip he knew this fact to give the
Janite inkling to his knowledge and that it was useless to lie to him.
“One of the triplets, identified by uniform tag as Simion Familee. Killed in
the fighting.”
Estoor’s mind was working
furiously. The children, including the daughter whom he desired, had left the planet. He
could not arrange to have the Minds of each world search for them for that would attract
attention from the Prime Lord and, besides, his people were spread very thin as it was.
Maybe he could put the Janite to use, utilising his resources to locate them?
“The only other survivor of note was the Lord Verid. We hold him
prisoner,” the Emperor-Priest was trying to change the subject, trying to give the
Lordmind enough information so that he would be satisfied and go. He could not take any
direct action against the Minds. He had already made his position within both the Setnin
and the Ki-Ki Sectors shaky as it was without creating any more problems by making new
enemies.
“And the Baroness Familee?” Estoor asked slowly, with an underlying
meaning that this was a very touchy subject. The Emperor-Priest stiffened but said
nothing.
“She is dead, is she not?”
Akallon snarled with fists clenched
and stepped forward towards the Lordmind. Areed stepped with him, grabbing the
Janite’s shoulder to warn him off making any bad decision involving physical harm.
“We do not know the location of the Baroness!” Akallon shouted.
“Killed like her husband!” the Lordmind raised his whisper to as close to
a shout as he could. “Killed, but not by war. By poison! Murder, Janos! Murdered by
yourself to claim this world!”
“How dare you make such an accusation!”
“I dare! Tell me, who is Fly?”
This time Areed had to grasp his
employer with both hands as he tried to move closer to the Lordmind.
“You cannot assail me, Janos. I have already informed the Prime Lord of my
intention to come here and he is expecting my personal transmission from Chinngard’s
enhancer.”
“Then I am foiled. As you said, you have the Prime Lord’s ear.”
There was silence. The Minds
accompanying Estoor had stepped back after the heated exchange and lowered their powers to
a minimum, ready to burst blood vessels or rupture organs with a thought if anyone had
attacked their superior. Areed pulled the Emperor-Priest back a few steps and patted him
on the back to calm him.
“The Prime Lord need not know about his daughter,” Estoor had gone back
to his whisper, a smile starting to grow as he regarded the Janite.
“What would you have me do, Lordmind? Is this blackmail?”
Estoor thought about it for a second,
and then cocked his head with exaggerated agreement. “Yes, I believe it is. I have
the true facts of the Prime Lord’s daughter’s death in here,” he tapped his
skull, “and even though Mind testimony is inadmissible I’m sure the Prime Lord
would get very emotional if he found out about his offspring’s death.”
He let the threat hang, walking back
up to Akallon. “All I ask is that you allow me to utilise your resources to find the
Familee children, especially the daughter. If you locate them for me, and then hand over
the child, you can make up whatever story you wish. The Familee House all survived and
fled into hiding, they vanished, they are prisoners, whatever. It does not concern me. All
I am interested in is the child.”
The Emperor-Priest looked at the
Lordmind and then at Areed. Areed, looking at the Lordmind with distaste, realised that
his was probably the best chance his employer had without his plans being uncovered. He
looked at him and nodded.
Akallon nodded back, glad that
someone else agreed with his decision and that he could quite easily partition the blame
to someone else. “Very well. You have the resources of Janos at your disposal.”
“Every contact? Every member of the sector loyal to the Janos doctrine?”
“Yes, damn it.”
“Good.”
Lordmind Estoor turned to leave. As
he spun he stopped and then a thought entered his head. He turned back to the Janite.
“Did you say you had Lord Verid as prisoner?”
“I did.”
“Have him taken to my ship. I think we can put him to very good use.”
The Lordmind swept away in a flurry
of reflecting robes, his company following. The smile on Estoor’s face was huge as he
contemplated what he had just bargained. An entire planet’s resources at his beck and
call, the Emperor-Priest of that world so concerned of being found out he would even
bargain with a non-Janite to keep the secret. It would certainly make the task of finding
the child easier, and may be useful in the future.
But the Emperor-Priest was far from
concerned. He was staring at the back of the retreating Lordmind, imagining all kinds of
gruesome ends for the man. He turned to Areed.
“I think I will kill him one day. What he knows is dangerous.”
Areed nodded. “I understand. A
pact with a Mind is like sleeping on a vipen nest; they will tolerate your company so long
and then strike out. I think dark days are ahead.”
“I agree. What is the importance of this child?”
Areed never answered, shaking his
head. He did not know. He was not sure he even cared. All he knew was that this child had
created a chance for Janos to take Chinngard, and now she was instrumental in an agreement
between a warrior race and the Mindmoon, the foundations of which were crumbling.
If she were not found soon, there would be a reckoning.